On Nov. 17,1st Lt. Marcus Brown (right), from Lawrenceville, Ga., 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, helps his father, Master Sgt. Roy Brown, from Pace, Miss., the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation on Forward Operating Base Hammer, measure stall widths for the new internet café that will soon be coming to FOB Hammer. First Lt. Brown was allowed to visit his father for five days before his unit redeploys back to Fort Bliss, Texas. (Photo by FOB Hammer Mayor’s Cell)
Months of planning and long conversations with his chain of command came to fruition for 1st Lt. Marcus Brown, from Lawrenceville, Ga., 5th Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 4th Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, when he stepped off a helicopter at FOB Hammer and saw his father waiting for him.
Master Sgt. Roy Brown, from Pace, Miss., the noncommissioned officer in charge of the Morale, Welfare and Recreation on FOB Hammer, waited patiently at the airfield an hour and a half for 1st Lt. Brown to arrive so he could spend some quality time with his son.
The younger Brown has been serving with the 5-82nd FA at FOB Endurance, south of Mosul, for the past 13 months and wanted to see his father before his unit redeploys in the coming months. For the last year and a half, the two had communicated by telephone.
On Nov. 14, father and son were finally reunited for five days.
This was 1st Lt. Brown’s first deployment to Iraq, but he had frequently called his father to get advice. Both men explained that they have tried to talk to one another at least once a week, but Master Sgt. Brown explained that his chief concern was to get his son to call his mother back in Atlanta.
“He called me a few times when he first came over here, but I told him his main focus was really to call his mother,” Master Sgt. Brown said. “With me being in the military, it was easier for me because I knew what he would be going through and understood it.”
The younger Brown acknowledged that his father has helped during the current deployment. When asked what the best piece of advice he received from his father was, the elder Brown replied for him.
“I told him to make sure you listen to your platoon sergeant,” Brown said with a laugh.
Both father and son admitted that although their time together has been short, they have enjoyed it.
“I’m glad I got the chance to come here,” 1st Lt. Brown said. “It’s been a year and a half since we’ve seen each other. It was a short time, but I didn’t consider it father/son time. It was family time. We had a chance to catch up and talk about a lot of things that have happened during the last year and a half. I’m glad I got a chance to come down here and see what he does.”
Since his arrival, Lt. Brown has followed his father and helped him with the various projects that keep him busy at FOB Hammer.
“He’s been really busy since I’ve been here, coordinating things and making sure the MWR is running smoothly,” 1st Lt. Brown said. “I didn’t realize that he would be ripping and running around so much, but it’s been a good experience. I definitely have a better appreciation of how hard he works out here. I can see who I get my work ethic from.”
The two have worked to get the new MWR trailers set up, helped set up computers, checked on the progress of the new post exchange that will be opening soon and even refereed a few intramural sports events together.
“I knew he couldn’t stop what he was doing because I was here, but it wasn’t that big a deal,” said Brown about his father’s busy schedule. “The fact that we were together was all that really mattered to me.”
Master Sgt. Brown explained that one of the main benefits of the visit was that it allowed them to both talk to his wife at the same time.
“She is a very strong woman and she is very supportive,” Brown said, describing his wife. “As long as she is doing well, we are doing well. She was very excited that we got to see one another.”
First Lt. Brown explained that both he and his father try to keep in contact, but that it can be difficult.
“We both try and call her once a week, but she understands that operations can get hectic out here,” he said. “No matter how busy we are out here, we both make every effort to e-mail or call her.”
First Lt. Brown plans to visit his mother when he redeploys back to Fort Bliss, Texas, but he doesn’t plan on using many of his leave days.
“I’m not going to take a lot of leave when I get back,” he said. “I want to save my leave days so I can be there (at Fort Benning) when he gets off of the plane.”
While that time is still quite a ways off, Master Sgt. Brown is thankful for the past five days.
“It’s been a while since we’ve got to spend father and son time together like that,” he said. “We had a chance to talk, referee a basketball game together and just be together. I think it was a very good visit.”
The 3rd HBCT, 3rd Infantry Division, is from Fort Benning, Ga., and has been deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom since March.
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